taking a soft gaze
the astrology of june, part i (1st - 15th)
Note that astrological transits affect us all differently, depending on how they interact with our unique birth charts and the timing of our lives. Take the advice that resonates with you, and don’t worry about the rest.
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The astrology of June is significantly more calm than the previous three months (thank goodness). With fewer transits in both number and impact, many of us will hopefully get the chance to engage our parasympathetic nervous systems—resting, digesting, and integrating the literal and psychic shifts that have cascaded through us since March.
To begin the month, Venus in Cancer will form a supportive trine to dreamy, spiritual Neptune in Pisces on June 2nd, which will expand into a special grand trine on the same evening as the Moon in Scorpio meets up with both. Venus-Neptune aspects on their own engage our sensitivity, imagination, and compassion, especially in relationships—with ourselves or others. The addition of the Moon in Scorpio to this aspect suggests that there may be some deeper wounds, losses, or complexities that can benefit from the soft gaze of Venus-Neptune. This is doubly emphasized by the placement of this grand trine in the water signs, which broadly operate through feelings, intuition, bonding, and sensory experience. This is a beautiful transit for working into deeper layers of closeness with significant others or our own inner world.
The following day, a Full Moon will take place at 13° of Sagittarius on June 3rd. Full Moons always occur when the Sun and Moon are in opposite signs, opposite not only by degree but by life philosophy. Sagittarius tends towards optimism, faith, synthesis, and the big picture, whereas its contrasting sign, Gemini, thrives on little details, debates, detours, and analysis. This Full Moon will bridge the spectrum between the macro and the micro. We may want to take a small piece of new information provided by the Sun in Gemini and run with it, full-steam ahead towards a much bigger Sagittarian plan or theory. This impulse is expanded by Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, in conjunction with the amplifying North Node at this time. The desire to make a tangible shift around June 3rd is further italicized by Mercury’s conjunction with change-making Uranus in Taurus, which perfects the next day on June 4th. Whatever metamorphosis comes of this may have been a long-time-in-the-making—Mercury almost conjoined with Uranus on April 20th, but turned retrograde and backed out of the aspect. Consider what ideas were on the table in mid-April that you may have greater perspective on or ability to activate now. With both Mercury, the planet of mental faculties, and Jupiter, the planet of opportunity, in earthy Taurus, we’re more likely to see success at this time through concrete material and physical reorganization. An example of this might be that you have a sudden desire to learn a new subject or practice that would be greatly helpful to you, but in order to do so you need to clean a new space for it or change a longstanding habit in order to make time in your schedule. Whatever house Taurus occupies in your birth chart, it will represent an area of life where you tend to default into familiar rhythms and comfort zones. In order to go after a new dream, as this Full Moon and Mercury-Uranus conjunction might encourage us to do, we’ll need to re-examine some of our habitual patterns.
On June 5th, Venus will enter Leo and immediately oppose Pluto in Aquarius. Venus-Pluto oppositions tend to trigger obsessions, power struggles, and anxieties in topics of a Venusian nature, specifically in love, friendships, other relationships with women and femmes, aesthetic considerations like appearance, fashion, or beauty, and with the subject of pleasure more broadly. But before we start blaming Pluto, note that the underworld planet only ever activates what already lies beneath the surface, the things we’ve hidden, repressed, or ignored. Pluto uncovers and reveals challenging material so that we have the opportunity to scrutinize, transform, and release it. Across the me-versus-we signs of Leo and Aquarius, difficulties may arise from this transit around topics of attention, like feeling seen enough, or how we think we’re valued. Although this degree-based aspect will come to an end on June 9th, what we take away from it might be under consideration for a much longer period of time. This is because Venus will spend the next four months in Leo — due to her retrograde station in July. Venus typically only spends about one month in each sign, so this is a notably longer stay. In Leo, Venus is occupying the home temple of the Sun, the fixed fire energy of mid-summer, and the place of Saturn’s detriment. As the primary sign of Solar influence, Leo deals with topics of identity, ego, confidence, self-expression, self-assurance, autonomy, sovereignty, core ideals, and personal power (the Sun is thee center of our solar system, after all!). When Venus enters the sign of the Lion, Venusian topics may need to be reviewed through the lens of selfhood. Some questions that could be relevant in the coming months are: Is there enough of me in this relationship? Do I feel appreciated? Do I make time to appreciate others? Who gets to shine, and when? Where is it appropriate for me to put myself at the center, and where isn’t it? For a deeper, personalized dive into the upcoming Venus retrograde, consider becoming a paid subscriber in order to receive my Summer 2023 Astrology Workbook, which will include fully customizable forecasts and prompts that you can use to read the impact of the transits on your life. The workbook will be released on June 18th, free to paid subscribers (for less than $3/month!) or for $9 to the public.
Pluto will re-enter Capricorn on June 11th, where it will stay until January of 2024. Pluto is an incredibly slow-moving planet from the point of view of the Earth, and it often seesaws between two signs over a period of two years before fully committing to its new home. Pluto’s return to Capricorn marks a shift back into old territory and realities we’ve known since 2008. Look at the whole sign house of Capricorn in your birth chart to better understand where you are in the wrap-up phase of a decade-plus long plot line. Broadly, Pluto’s arrival back in Capricorn might shift cultural attention away from a future-focused orientation (see Chris Brennan’s work on Pluto in Aquarius and AI) and back to longstanding problems of abuses of power, widespread inequality, and unjust systems.
On the same day, Venus in Leo will square Jupiter in Taurus, and Mercury will enter its home sign of Gemini. Venus’ square to Jupiter is the first of three such passes over the next few months, and this sets up a dynamic tension between the Taurus and Leo houses of our birth charts. Both signs are of the fixed modality, which is known for its steady nature and resistance to change. Taurus tends to illustrate the areas of life where we set up a stable, familiar, and pleasurable environment for ourselves, whereas Leo often points to an area where we create a stable, familiar, and proud sense of identity. Consider the relationship between your sense of self and the everyday environments you place yourself in, recognizing that environments can be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, sexual, digital, and more. Venus and Jupiter may create a little tension here between who we think we are and where we take comfort, but ultimately as Benefic helper planets, this tension should be productive. This may be an extension of the experience we have around the Full Moon in Sagittarius, as both are connecting with Jupiter in Taurus.
Lastly, with Mercury now in quicksilver, convivial Gemini, also on June 11th, it’s a great time to get down to business with any personal or professional projects that involve creativity, social connections, writing, speaking, or managing money. It’s also just a lovely transit for shooting the breeze, playing with new ideas, and exploring possibilities in a light and noncommittal manner.
That’s it for now! Take care!
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If you happen to be in Upstate NY this month, I’ll be teaching a live class at the Flower Scout studio in Troy. Check it out!
